Innocence
by noodlemonsters
Summary: Noah is enchanted by Cody's innocence. He finds himself along the sunny coast of the beach one day and feels his heart burst. Will this young love blossom? Warning:slash/yaoi and plenty o' fluff! CodyxNoah


**Warning: Slash, cuteness, and all around fluffiness!**

**Disclaimer:I don't own TDI or any of the characters.. But if I did there'd be more crack couples..**

Innocence

It was another fun filled day at the Playa de Losers. _Whoop dee do… _Noah thought, rolling his eyes at the irony of the thought. He sat at the small juice bar trying to read another large and dusty tome. A glass of cloudy pink lemonade sat cheerily beside him, a small cherry floating lazily on the sparkling liquid as a bright yellow lemon slice perched on the rim, glistening.

He heard shrill shrieks of glee and laughter as the other losing teens played happily by the poolside a few feet away. _Splashing and tramping around like a bunch of morons no doubt._ The egghead thought lazily to himself.

Half-lidded eyes scanned the pages, devouring the words within their gaze. He thought of something, or rather _someone_, he'd rather be looking at right now. His thoughts drifted to the small computer geek, Cody.

Although slender and something of a shrimp Cody had a cute, boyish look to him. Beautiful blue eyes constantly lit with curiosity as they alighted on those in the world around him.

The boy was sweet sixteen with flawless pale skin and radiant chestnut hair. He had a sweet gap toothed smile that made him seem to have the pure, unhindered delight of a raucous young toddler.

Noah felt enchanted by the sweet simplicity of him. The curiosity, the innocence, the boyish charm. He was utterly enthralled by such a beautiful creature.

The boy was reserved and shy (although sometimes boisterous) and tended to be awkward around others. He was often ridiculed for this reason. His voice was of one still reaching puberty, not yet deepened but cracking at higher notes.

He loved to watch him as he hummed to himself, content to lie on his back and stare into the sky, watching the seagulls soaring on embankments of warm thermals. He was intrigued by that beautiful blue-eyed boy. He couldn't possibly get enough of him. Even though he seemed simple, he sensed a hidden depth to him. The bookworm simply could not solve the puzzle that was Cody and that's what kept him hooked.

Waiting in hallways, in hope of catching a glimpse of him going past to get to his room. Thinking hours on end of the unanswered questions all risen by someone so seemingly simple. He knew he had it bad. He tried to brush it off for a while. Simply reasoning with himself that it was ridiculous, there was no reason for this. But of course love cannot be so easily brushed off with callous excuses.

He had eventually grown to accept his affection for the boy, even if he did keep it to himself. He'd simply tell him when the time was right. There obviously had to be something to that time-worn cliché. _Besides, it's hardly the business of the rest of those stupid buffoons. _He thought glaring over the top of his book to see said buffoons trying to drown each other in the pool.

"Imbeciles," he muttered darkly under his breath, bringing his book back up. He idled, hardly even seeing the book anymore, much less reading it. His thoughts were all but consumed by Cody. The sweet nymph teasing at the corners of his subconscious until he granted them entrance to the forefront of his mind.

He sat, his mind drifting off to more pleasant horizons than that of the sunny coast as he leafed aimlessly through his book, hardly paying attention. He heard the laughter and playful shouts of the others, but hardly took notice until he heard the loud hearty shout of, "CANNONBALL!"

He hardly had time to look up to see Owen, in his opinion king of the buffoons (and a rather large one at that) crash into the vivid blue chlorinated water of the swimming pool. His eyes widened suddenly when he saw the large tidal wave of water rising out of the pool. He saw it roaring ominously towards him, almost in slow motion. He was cast in its shadow and looked up in horror as the water descended upon him.

It crashed into his lean, slender frame, sending the dark haired know-it-all hurtling over the counter of the juice bar as his book went flying. He landed with a hard thud and lay still in shock. He slowly blinked his eyes open to see the cheery faces of the other losers.

"Hey sorry about that, dude!" the voracious and chubby blonde, Owen cried, "But that was AWESOME! WHOOOOO!" He shouted, pumping his fists victoriously into the air and running off to inflict more "poolside fun" on the other campers.

The horde chased after him giggling and shouting, no doubt having fun in their own little worlds. "Morons," he muttered trying to wring the water out of his once fluffed dark brown hair.

He looked over to see his book aimlessly drift across the water of the pool before sinking into the murky depths. _Oh, joy_, he thought watching his last chance of salvation sink from sight, _my day just gets better and better…_

"I'm getting out of here," he announced to no one in particular. Luckily, the drenched teen had been wearing his trunks and not his usual sweater vest, three shirt, cargo pants combo. He looked down at his scrawny tanned chest, watching beads of water slide off of him slowly.

His trunks were dark blue with red Hawaiian flowers on them. It was a strange thing to wear for someone with such a typically bored expression. Why he wore it he had no clue. Obviously, his mom picked it for him. _Why the hell should I care how I look anyway? _He thought, _I'm not here to impress these Neanderthals._

He cast another contemptuous glance at the supposedly primitive specimens. "Alright then, I'll just go…" He sauntered off pushing himself through the throngs of imbeciles to find a quiet place to be alone. Katie and Sadie, dressed in identical polka dot bathing suits ran past him squealing. He shot a condescending glare at the lot of idiocy before marching proudly off in the direction of the abandoned coast side. Or so he thought…

He looked over as he ambled along the beach, sand sticking to his wet feet in mushy clumps, to spot copper hair practically blaring in the bright sunlight. Noah shaded his eyes, squinting to see the trace of a figure in the distance. He walked closer, curious to see who else would rather to bask in the beautiful solitude along this lonely shoreline. He stepped closer and felt his heart slam against his ribs as he recognized the slim outline of a certain, innocent blue-eyed boy.

He was humming happily to himself as he waded through the tide pools, delicately lifting with nimble fingers tiny shells, which he held up to his face for closer inspection. Noah felt his blood pound in his ears as he saw that vivid curiosity light up the boy's face in a way unique to only him.

He tiptoed closer, his steps cushioned by the soothing softness of the sand. He watched as Cody picked up a small sand crab no bigger than his thumb. Cody set the tiny creature in the palm of his hand and giggled brightly as its legs tickled the soft skin of his palm. Noah smiled at how he could derive such joy from something as simple as a small sand crab. He watched the boy tenderly place the crab as it was. He giggled yet again that infectious giggle as he watched it scuttle hurriedly into the shade of the smooth sea-rounded rocks.

Noah looked down at himself with a critical eye. He was pretty tan, but naturally so. Definitely not from time outside, since he tended to avoid it when he could. He had dark coffee colored hair that reached halfway down his neck. The ends usually fluffed and airy clung in wet clumps to his slim neck. He wasn't exactly buff, _but hey, brains over brawn, _the brunette thought smugly. He shook off his ego fueled thoughts and struggled to clear his head.

He looked up to see the object of his affections gazing curiously over at him. Blue orbs inspected him for motives, unsure of what action to take. He knew he had to act first so he cleared his throat hastily. "Hey," he called out nervously, waving half-heartedly while his other hand mussed the back of his hair.

The slim brunette beamed in response and let out a hearty "Hi!" waving him over. Noah stepped over cautiously, not wanting to stumble and make a fool of himself. Cody waited eagerly as the resident bookworm sidled to where he was. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" He asked, eagerly holding up a brimming handful of shells and other pool tide specimens for the inspection of the egghead.

Noah looked into the cupped hands to see the dull glint of the shells and other miniature sea creatures crawling on the delicate pale hands. He wondered what it was like to touch those hands and wished in vain that he were one of those damned sand crabs. He looked up to see the wide gap toothed grin he'd so grown to love over the past months. He could feel the anticipation of the smaller boy filling the space between them.

"They're… Nice…" he said, losing himself in those sapphire spheres for a brief moment. Apparently, this was the right answer because that cherished grin only grew even bigger as Cody returned his discovered treasures tenderly into the tide pool. They watched in unison as they drifted back down to embed themselves into the soft ocean floor. Noah could feel himself flushing slightly and shyly looked down.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Cody asked plopping himself onto the edge of the small pool, gazing up at the egghead, eagerly waiting for an answer. Noah simply could not believe the pure delight erupting on the young boy's face at the simple pleasure of his company. He couldn't help but feel slightly flattered by the attentiveness of the other's gaze. He gingerly sat himself down, knowing the sand would probably end up clinging to the seat of his trunks.

"Um… Just wanted some alone time," he replied hesitantly.

"Oh," Cody's face fell, "I'm sorry." He looked down sadly.

"No, no, no!" Noah exclaimed hastening to fix the errors of his remark. "It's okay, I really would like to spend some time with you…" He flushed realizing what he had just uttered aloud and quickly shutting his mouth.

That brilliant smile shone yet again as Cody eagerly said, "Ok! I usually never get any company!" Noah was saddened and angered at this. He knew the feeling, but felt the injustice of someone so innocently sweet being at the brunt of this social neglect. How can no one see the beauty of him? Just because he was so different and yet his beauty was in those differences. The way he knew how to preserve that fragile childhood innocence. Just then his thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tap on his shoulder.

"Tag," said Cody, smiling all the brighter, bubbly anticipation rolling off him in waves. He got up, full of even more of that youthful energy of his. "You're it." Noah took a couple of seconds to process this as Cody took off running down the beach giggling and screaming.

He thought of how he had never liked to play, much less run. Even as a child he sat quietly in the corner, his effusive siblings bounding all over the house. He thought of telling this to Cody but quickly squashed that thought when he saw that childish teasing of Cody's running and giggling. He heard Cody calling out to him and he sprang running after the sweet chestnut haired boy, sending him squealing along the shoreline.

They played a rousing game of tag, tackling each other and rolling all over the sun-warmed sand. Noah, for once in his life, forgot all his worries. Let down the guard he had set up so meticulously around his inner vitality and youth, his vulnerability. He forgot all of his know-it-all tendencies, the taunts of his siblings as he was lost in a world of sweet, sweet innocence.

Eventually, they stood by each other panting heavily, weary but happily content nonetheless. Their heavy breathing mingled with the gentle waves gliding ashore were the only soundtrack as they stood in companionable silence. Noah looked over at the object of his affections. Hair blown and fluffed from the running, Cody's pale face was flushed from their play. Noah felt an insatiable urge come over him and before he could think, he wrapped long, tan arms around the smaller boy startling him slightly.

He nuzzled his hair softly, breathing in the sweet soapy scent of his shampoo. His hair was soft and shone a bright copper in the light. He stood back to look at him and saw him fluttering his thick, dark eyelashes. Blue-green eyes looking up coyly as he chewed a plump lower lip. A smile gently tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw that look of such sweet innocence on his face. He could barely keep himself from crashing their lips together, curious about the taste of the other boys mouth.

He pulled him closer feeling the small chest heaving with his quickened breath as his heart fluttered beneath soft, creamy skin. He felt hesitant looking at the small brunette. He was enchanted by his innocence. The thin, lanky frame. The soft, sensitive doe-like eyes. The cute little gap between his two front teeth making his smile enthrallingly sweet. He nuzzled his nose against the younger boy's ear. His breath sending a slight shiver down the other boy's neck. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he heard Cody moan softly.

He pressed himself closer nibbling the smaller boy's earlobe, satisfied when he heard a quiet coo escape Cody's lips. One of Cody's hands sifted through the egghead's hair while another draped around the back of his neck. He pushed up on his tiptoes yearning to be closer. Noah suddenly pulled back, seeing the younger boy's expression become pained at the sudden distance. Soft blue-green eyes looked confusedly up, slender brows knitted in worry. Cody's hair was left slightly ruffled as he tried to calm his breathing enough to ask the other boy the question burning in his chest. But before he could open his mouth to voice his troubled thoughts, a soft hand whispered across his forehead moving shiny copper bangs from slightly widened eyes.

The know-it-all shifted his legs slightly, leaning closer to the smaller boy gazing intently into his eyes. His face moved closer as he cupped a gentle, encouraging hand under Cody's chin, tilting his face slightly upwards. He put a tanned hand on the boy's lower back, sidling closer. He paused for an instant giving the boy a moment to register. He looked deeply into those adorable blue eyes. He sat waiting, almost asking permission to quench that long thirsting desire to feel the boy's soft plush lips against his. As if sensing this, Cody moved closer signaling Noah to dip his head and push firm lips to the smaller boy's mouth. He was surprised at the tender softness of his warm lips. A light sigh escaped him as he pulled him closer, savoring the closeness of him. They clung to each other awhile, both unwilling to be the first to let go.

Eventually, Noah reluctantly stepped back. Deep brown eyes meeting startling blues. They looked at each other for a minute, intent and curious. The silence began to weigh heavily upon them. Cody shuffled his feet awkwardly head hung slightly, a blush creeping across his face. Tension was thick as they thought of how to break the silence. Cody cleared his throat delicately causing the bookworm to snap his gaze off the sand at his feet and focus on the other's face.

"I've actually liked you for a long time… I didn't know whether you liked me…" he drifted off awkwardly, digging his toe into the sand nervously, blue orbs fixed upon it. His blush grew a deeper red, a stark contrast to his usually pale skin. Noah looked at him intently, quick eyes taking in the slim physique and the other boy he had come to find strangely endearing. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Well, I guess you know now, don't you?" He asked, exuding a sort of playful charm. Cody blushed still darker as Noah chuckled under his breath. His head shaking gently from side to side as a grin forced itself across his face. He couldn't help but smile. He felt this boy could not possibly get any cuter. He watched the other boy look up shyly, his chin tilted down, amber bangs drifting lightly across his reddening face.

"I love that about you, you know that?" Noah said still smiling.

"What?" asked Cody, looking increasingly baffled.

"That sweet innocence of yours, that boyish curiosity. It's just insatiable isn't it?"

"I guess…" Cody said, gaze lowered uncertainly. Noah took smooth strides across the sand, closer to the one he loved.

"Want to get a milkshake?" He asked. Head tilted slightly, a charming grin spread across his face as he quirked a dark brow. He extended a tender, tanned hand towards the other. The hand looked empty without the presence of a certain smaller hand. Cody simply nodded, a vibrant smile nearly splitting his face in two. He slipped his hand into Noah's and was gently led along the beach off in the direction of the poolside counters for some sweet, creamy treats. Both now in their own world of simple innocence.  
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A/N: This is my very first fic so please be nice. I would appreciate any constructive criticism, but not flames. Although they keep my feet mighty toasty.. So what's you guys think? Too mushy? Too gay? (Is that possible?) Tell me what you think! All you gotta do is push that little button at the bottom. You know you want too... Just look at how squishy it is..


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